leicaman
Maximum Pace
- Sep 20, 2012
- 2,878
- 2,698
Hi all
I have had my Garmin edge 510 for a few years now and it finally needed replacing recently. Like most Garmin products, it has had its problems , mostly firmware based. I've lost count of the number of firmware updates it has had since I got it. Lately the touchscreen hasn't been working when it gets hot. Not idea for summer riding then. I decided to go for the 520, although the very next day, Garmin released the 820.
I wasn't too bothered though as the 820 is almost double the price of the 520.
Initial reports are very promising. The biggest difference to the 510 is the map. On the 510, I would follow a breadcrumb line which was great until I got to a fork in the road and wasn't sure which road to take. Only after guessing at one of the roads and then either seeing if I was still on route or veering off course, would I know if I had chosen correctly. I'd very often have to do a u-turn. With the 520, this is not an issue. I have the openstreet maps installed on the unit (I have to download them for free from a different site) and can see very clearly which way I need to go before I get to the turning.
Another big advantage of having a map is that when I descend, I always like to look at the route ahead for any sharp corners/hairpins. This gives me plenty of time to slow down and not overshoot a corner. This was great on the 510 until we decided to change routes halfway through a ride. With the 520, I can still see any road I'm descending as it is shown on the map, this being aware of any tricky corners ahead of time.
I'm aware that some people didn't like the map zoom function but for me it is an absolute none issue. I set it to 80m scale when I first got the device and I haven't needed to change it once from that setting.
Battery life seems to be about on a par with my 510 but if I was to go on a long ride (300km +) , I would take my tiny portable waterproof"ish" battery which would be good for about 4 full charges.
So far I have experienced no glitches in the firmware, unlike the 510 which would often drop its ANT+ signal, losing my cadence and speed sensor.
Overall, I love this new Garmin and would recommend it to anyone looking for a new cycling GPS computer.
I have had my Garmin edge 510 for a few years now and it finally needed replacing recently. Like most Garmin products, it has had its problems , mostly firmware based. I've lost count of the number of firmware updates it has had since I got it. Lately the touchscreen hasn't been working when it gets hot. Not idea for summer riding then. I decided to go for the 520, although the very next day, Garmin released the 820.
I wasn't too bothered though as the 820 is almost double the price of the 520.
Initial reports are very promising. The biggest difference to the 510 is the map. On the 510, I would follow a breadcrumb line which was great until I got to a fork in the road and wasn't sure which road to take. Only after guessing at one of the roads and then either seeing if I was still on route or veering off course, would I know if I had chosen correctly. I'd very often have to do a u-turn. With the 520, this is not an issue. I have the openstreet maps installed on the unit (I have to download them for free from a different site) and can see very clearly which way I need to go before I get to the turning.
Another big advantage of having a map is that when I descend, I always like to look at the route ahead for any sharp corners/hairpins. This gives me plenty of time to slow down and not overshoot a corner. This was great on the 510 until we decided to change routes halfway through a ride. With the 520, I can still see any road I'm descending as it is shown on the map, this being aware of any tricky corners ahead of time.
I'm aware that some people didn't like the map zoom function but for me it is an absolute none issue. I set it to 80m scale when I first got the device and I haven't needed to change it once from that setting.
Battery life seems to be about on a par with my 510 but if I was to go on a long ride (300km +) , I would take my tiny portable waterproof"ish" battery which would be good for about 4 full charges.
So far I have experienced no glitches in the firmware, unlike the 510 which would often drop its ANT+ signal, losing my cadence and speed sensor.
Overall, I love this new Garmin and would recommend it to anyone looking for a new cycling GPS computer.
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